Prolegomenon
“

No one who begins a biography of Jesus with the words "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" or concludes an account with "these things have been written so that you might believe" is attempting to be neutral about the subject matter. The question that should be raised about such accounts is not whether they amount to a form of advocacy—because of course they do—but whether the interpretation of Jesus offered illuminates or obscures the historical subject matter that is being treated.

— Ben Witherington III

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "No one who begins a biography of Jesus with the words "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" or concludes an account with "these things have been written so that you might believe" is attempting to be neutral about the subject matter. The question that should be raised about such accounts is not whether they amount to a form of advocacy—because of course they do—but whether the interpretation of Jesus offered illuminates or obscures the historical subject matter that is being treated." in the context of "Prolegomenon" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Ben Witherington III" (Quotes, New Testament History : A Narrative Account (2001)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Ben Witherington III

About Ben Witherington III

Ben Witherington III (born 1951) is an American Wesleyan-Armininan New Testament scholar. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary a seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church.